


All it Takes is An Apple Pie

by Nellie2018



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Demon Dean Winchester, Gen, Hurt Sam Winchester, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:40:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24234433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nellie2018/pseuds/Nellie2018
Summary: The air seemed to fizz with static and before their eyes a shimmer in the area near the steps in front of them appeared.A flash of light caused both brothers to shield their eyes and when they opened them they gasped in surprise.“What the hell Cas?” cried Dean, seeing the angel with a bundled up body in his arms.   Castielstared at them before opening his mouth.“Please help him.” he muttered before collapsing to his knees.   Sam was the closest and rushed forward as the bundled up body rolled from the angels arms.    He felt Dean come to support their friend.   The younger Winchester stopped the body and gasped in shock as the blanket fell away from its face.    Dean looked down and his eyes fell upon the familiar dark hair.“What the ...?” he questioned.    He was looking at the battered and bloody face of his younger brother.
Kudos: 6





	All it Takes is An Apple Pie

The blossom from the orchard was swept around as the breeze blew gently through the apple  
trees. Sam Winchester opened his weary eyes as he roused from his sleep, watching a honey  
bee buzz past him to settle on a nearby bloom. Sighing he moved, wincing at the pull in his  
muscles. It was not often he slept in the open but the night had been so warm that he had  
abandoned the back seat and laid a blanket down at the side soon falling asleep. Sitting up,  
he yawned and stretched out the kinks, brushing off the blossom from his clothes as he rose to  
his knees. Glancing into the car, he saw his brother snoring lightly, still asleep, head tucked  
under the steering wheel and knees brought into this belly. It had been a late night, the  
restless spirit finally laid to rest and both brothers were so weary that they had decided to forgo  
the long ride to a motel and had just parked up in the quiet orchard to grab a few hours of much  
needed sleep. Glancing at his watch he saw that it was still early, only just past dawn break  
and he decided to leave Dean to sleep a little longer. The older Winchester brother was still  
recovering from an infected wound in his arm which he had sustained a couple of weeks ago.  
Although the wound was near enough healed, the infection had taken its toll and both brothers  
had only just returned to the hunt. He relaxed his back against the dark metal of the Impala  
and allowed himself to absorb the sounds and smells around him. He heard the buzzing of  
honey bees flying between the trees laden with blossom, a bird sang it’s little heart out  
somewhere in the branches above him and he closed his eyes again. Sometimes it did him  
good to just zone out and connect with the wonderful world of nature that surrounded them all.  
Despite everything, nature carried on, regardless of the continuing battle they waged against  
various monsters, demons and angels that blighted the Winchester brothers lives. Breathing in  
deeply he allowed the oxygen to fill his lungs and just for a moment forgot his troubles.  
Eventually, a twinge in his bladder made him stand and he moved away to water a nearby tree.  
As he returned to the car, Dean was stirring and Sam leaned into the open door and nudged his  
foot.  
The rumpled hunter opened his eyes and sat up with a wince.  
“Hey” said Sam quietly, relishing in the fact that both brothers were unharmed after the previous  
night’s hunt. Certainly a refreshing change as they had been fighting monsters continually for  
the last few months.  
“What time is it?” asked Dean, rubbing his hand over his face. He was still tired but the sharp  
edge of exhaustion had been sated for the time being.  
“A little after 6.30am.” answered Sam. “How are you feeling?”  
“Like I’m too old to be sleeping in a car.” grunted Dean, stepping out and stretching out the sore  
muscles in his back. He turned to his brother. “You’re up early.”  
Sam nodded, his long hair covering his eyes for a moment before he brushed it away. “Yeah.  
I couldn’t sleep in Baby, it was just too hot and uncomfortable. I ended up sleeping out here. I  
woke up just after dawn and I’ve been sitting here listening to the birds and bees. It’s awesome  
\- try it.”  
Dean raised an eyebrow but swallowed back a smart remark as he took in the surroundings. It  
had been pitch black when they pulled up last night and he now gazed around at the scene in  
front of him. They had pulled off the road and were parked in a small orchard of apple trees in  
full blossom. White petals were flying in the breeze and he heard the soothing noise of melodic  
birdsong. It was an idyllic scene and he took his brother's advice.  
“It’s real nice Sam” he said and both brothers paused, allowing themselves a moment away  
from their disjointed life. All too soon his stomach growled and Sam laughed.  
“I guess it’s time to find some breakfast,” he said.  
“Great idea.” agreed Dean. “Just need a call of nature and then I’m ready to go.”  
Sam bent down and rolled up the blanket, stowing it on the back seat and folded himself into the  
front. Shortly Dean returned and they set off to find a local diner. As in deference to the  
peace they left the music off and travelled in quiet contemplation, enjoying the quietness of the  
early morning. They had both learned to enjoy the peaceful moments as they knew that in their  
experience, the time was limited and they would soon both be cast back into the maelstrom of  
their hunter life. 

They found a diner on the outskirts of the local town and Dean parked up in the front parking lot.  
It was still early but the lights were on and a couple of patrons were seated at one of the tables.  
Walking in they were greeted warmly by a waitress, a middle aged dark haired woman with  
ample hips. She waved them to a table and brought them a couple of coffees as they sat and  
studied the menu.  
“What can I get you fellas?” she said with a genuine smile.  
Dean looked at the menu. “Pancakes with bacon please and eggs over easy.”  
She noted the order and looked over to Sam.  
“Can I have scrambled eggs with toast please Jean.” he said and the waitress nodded, pleased  
that this tall young man was polite enough to have taken notice of her name tag.  
“Ok, it won’t be long sweethearts..” she said and walked away to place the order with her  
husband in the kitchen.  
Dean leaned back in the chair and flexed his injured arm and noticed Sam’s frown as he did it.  
“It’s ok Sam.” he muttered. “Just gets a little stiff in the morning.”  
Sam burst out laughing and Dean realised the double-entendre.  
“Get your mind out of the gutter Sam Winchester. I meant my arm.”  
Sam shook his head in mirth before calming. “It’s not giving you trouble is it?”  
Dean shook his head. “No, it’s just gonna be a few more days till it's back to normal. Don’t  
worry, I’m fine.”  
Jean came back with two plates and the brothers thanked her before digging in and soon both  
were finished, sitting back with bellies full.  
“That was just what the doctor ordered.” Dean said as Jean came over to take the empty plates  
away. He nodded his thanks as she refilled their coffee mugs.  
“Nice to see you’ve got a healthy appetite. You remind me of my boys. Can I get you anything  
else? How about some apple pie to take away with you. The apples in this valley are sweet  
and delicious and my Joey bakes the best pies for miles around.”  
Sam smiled knowing that Dean was in foodie heaven.  
“That sounds wonderful. Yes, we’ll certainly take you up on that.”  
“Good. I’ll go and sort you out a take-out. Where are you boys headed?”  
“Back home to Kansas.”  
“Oh you’ve got a long drive. How about I pack the whole pie, that’ll keep you going.”  
“Jean, where have you been all my life.” sighed Dean and was pleased to hear her laugh as she  
walked away.  
Dean watched her go and turned back to see Sam with an amused smile on his face.  
“What?” he said, shrugging.  
“Nothing.” said Sam. “It’s just nice to see you happy again. Who knew all it takes is an  
apple pie?”  
Dean ducked his head. “Sorry, I’ve been a bit of a nightmare the last few weeks.”  
Sam nodded. “Yeah,” he agreed, “but you were sick and hurting and needed someone to take it  
out on.”  
Dean looked up at his brother guiltily. “Ok, but it shouldn’t be you Sam. You’ve got the  
patience of a saint.”  
“That’s what family is for.” stated Sam simply. “It’s just nice to see you remember to enjoy the  
simple things in life occasionally. Our world is so weird it’s easy to forget.”  
“Amen to that brother.” murmured Dean. Both brothers linked gazes and smiled at the intensity  
of their bond.  
Jean broke the moment as she returned with a large pie bundled up and the check.  
Leaving a generous tip, both brothers bid their goodbyes and began the long journey back to  
Lebanon. 

Three days later, the pie was nothing more than a warm memory, reduced to a pile of crumbs.  
The Winchester brothers were sat in the library of the Men of Letters bunker, Sam with his nose  
in a book about Meso-syrian fertility rituals and Dean tapping away at his laptop trying to find  
them another hunt The elder Winchester sighed and closed down another news website  
causing his brother to look up.  
“Quiet day?” Sam murmured.  
“So far.” his brother replied. As if the Gods had heard them, the lights flickered and both  
brothers looked up, both conscious that it could be a sign of trouble. The air seemed to fizz  
with static and before their eyes a shimmer in the area near the steps in front of them appeared.  
A flash of light caused both brothers to shield their eyes and when they opened them they  
gasped in surprise.  
“What the hell Cas?” cried Dean, seeing the angel with a bundled up body in his arms. Castiel  
stared at them before opening his mouth.  
“Please help him.” he muttered before collapsing to his knees. Sam was the closest and  
rushed forward as the bundled up body rolled from the angels arms. He felt Dean come to  
support their friend. The younger Winchester stopped the body and gasped in shock as the  
blanket fell away from its face. Dean looked down and his eyes fell upon the familiar dark hair.  
“What the ...?” he questioned. He was looking at the battered and bloody face of his younger  
brother.  
“Dean, I am not who you think I am.” gasped Castiel, gripping on to his shoulder.  
Dean exchanged shocked glances with Sam looking for an explanation to the shocking event.  
“I guess they’re from a different dimension.” Sam said slowly. He looked down at the  
unconscious doppelganger in front of him. He had obviously been the subject of a severe  
beating, his face bruised and blood dripping from a possibly broken nose.  
“Who did this to him?” he asked, letting his fingers run to the pulse point in the bruised neck. It  
appeared that there had been a rope or chain attached around his neck for quite some time.  
“His brother.” gasped Castiel, swaying. “I’m sorry, opening the portal has exhausted my grace.”  
Dean looked at him sharply. “You’re saying that another Dean has done this to him?”  
“Yes. He used a banishing sigil and I was transported to the other side of the world. By the  
time I managed to get back to the bunker he had done this to Sam. I managed to open a portal  
and found myself here. Is he safe here?”  
Sam nodded. “Yes. Come on let’s get him to my room so we can get him checked over.”  
Dean looked at the dishevelled angel and the familiar blue eyes were haunted. .  
“Dean'' urged Sam and he quickly applied himself to the task. They carried other Sam to the  
bedroom and laid him gently on the bed. The younger Winchester began to hastily strip the  
torn and tattered clothes off him as Dean fetched the medical kit. Other Castiel had set himself  
down in a chair in the library and appeared to be resting, his eyes closed and Dean left him to it  
realising that other Sam needed his help more at the moment. The portal was closed.  
Returning to the injured man's bedside he saw that Sam had stripped the unconscious man  
down to his boxer shorts. Looking down at him, he noticed the differences between the two  
Sam Winchesters. Although their faces were identical and the long dark hair framed the face,  
other Sam was somewhat gaunt,his muscle tone diminished and showing evidence of not  
enough food for a sustained period of time. Bruising around his neck was the result of forced  
restraint.  
“Look” murmured Sam and pushed the injured man over slightly. Dean winced as he saw  
raised welts on the pale back, overlapping partly healed scars.  
“He’s been whipped recently and it’s obviously happened before.”  
“How could you do that to your own brother?” said Dean quietly.  
Sam took a deep breath. “You wouldn’t do that but we don’t know what their lives are like in  
their universe.”  
Dean nodded numbly and looked down at the medical kit in his hand.  
“Well whatever happened over there other Sam is safe here with us now. Let’s check him  
over.”  
Both of the brothers examined and catalogued the young man's suffering, the list of injuries  
growing as they moved down his body. It was obvious that this poor man had been the  
subject of prolonged abuse, being beaten, whipped and starved. New injuries overlaid old  
ones. Several deep cuts lacerated his chest and although the blood had clotted, the wounds  
were inflamed.  
Sam sighed. “I’m not sure we can treat all these injuries ourselves. He’s weak, dehydrated  
and malnourished. Some of these cuts are infected and it doesn’t look like he’s had any  
treatment.”  
Dean nodded. He had come to the same conclusion, especially after finding that the  
unconscious man had a high temperature.  
“I’ll get Cas.” he said and closed his eyes.  
“Cas. Get your ears on, we need you buddy.” 

Castiel was visiting heaven but heard Deans prayer and looked over at Aniel.  
“I am sorry but I need to go.” he said and Aniel nodded.  
“The Winchesters?”  
Castiel nodded. “Dean needs me.”  
“Then you must go.” smiled Aniel and watched as his friend nodded and disappeared. 

“Hello Dean” he said as he materialised behind his friend.  
“Cas. We need your help.” said Dean. “Just don’t get freaked out.”  
He moved aside and the angel saw who was lying in the bed.  
“Sam?” he said and was confused as another Sam looked up from where he was kneeling at  
the side. There were two Sam Winchesters and one of them was grievously injured.  
“What happened?” he asked.  
“He’s from another world. Your doppelganger is sleeping it off in the library. Can you help  
him?”  
The angel knelt at the side of the bed and placed his fingers on the fevered brow. He closed  
his eyes and blue grace flowed from his fingers. He grimaced as he felt the many individual  
injuries.  
“I cannot heal him completely, there are too many injuries. He is not strong enough to tolerate  
the level of grace I will need to expel.”  
“Just do what you can Cas.” pleaded Sam.  
The angel closed his eyes and concentrated on the most life threatening injuries.  
“He is suffering from sepsis, a result of an infection from the knife wounds. He is very weak  
and has lost a worrying amount of blood. He has been abused over a long period of time.”  
He concentrated and began the slow process of purging the poison from the body and healing  
the cuts and lash marks from his back. He reset the broken nose and several broken fingers  
and healed several long slashes in his chest. He decided to leave the bruising and soft tissue  
damage to heal naturally, although they would be sore, they were not life threatening..  
Finally, he lifted his hand away and brushed his fingers through the dark hair gently.  
“He is out of danger and he will sleep now. When he wakes he will need food and water but  
only in moderation. His stomach is shrunk and will not tolerate much for a few days.”  
Sam looked up gratefully. “Thanks Cas.”  
“Who did this to him?”  
Dean frowned. “Apparently I did. Well, not me but the other me.”  
Castiel looked at him sympathetically, knowing how uncomfortable that made his friend. “He is  
safe now. You would not harm him.”  
Dean looked down at the patient and gently smiled down at him.  
“Yeah, he’s safe here. Sam, can you stay with him while we go and talk to other Cas?”  
Sam nodded and began to pack away the medical supplies.  
“I’ll look after him.” he murmured and watched as Dean and Cas left the bedroom.  
He studied the sleeping man in his bed. “You're safe now Sam.” he said quietly. “I won’t let  
anyone else hurt you.” he said, stroking his hand through the dark tresses. 

Dean and Castiel walked into the library and Cas stopped and studied the resting angel noting  
the similar dark hair. He became aware of several small differences and the fact that the angel  
was wearing a dark blue suit rather than the familiar trench coat. He reached out and sensed  
the exhaustion emanating from the figure in front of him, his grace almost spent. He walked over  
and touched his fingers to his forehead and was pleased to see that the small amount of grace  
that he passed over was accepted. Castiel from the other dimension slowly opened his eyes  
and looked up.  
“Thank you.” he said quietly, seemingly unsurprised to see the identical angel standing above  
him.  
He looked up at Dean. “How is Sam?”  
“He’s safe. Cas fixed up the worst of his injuries.”  
“He will recover with rest.” added Castiel. “As will you.”  
“Thank you. It took me too long to get back to him. I couldn't prevent Dean damaging him  
severely.”  
Dean frowned. “How could he do that to his own brother?”  
Other Castiel studied the older Winchester in front of him. It was apparent that this Dean was  
not like the Dean he knew in his dimension  
“Dean turned into a demon, an effect of the Mark of Cain several months ago. He recently  
returned to the bunker and banished me before I realised he was there. I ended up in  
Australia and the power of the sigil drained my grace. I returned as quickly as I could but Sam  
was imprisoned and tortured for 2 weeks . I was fortunate to arrive when Sam was left alone  
and found him severely injured. I opened a portal and escaped.”  
Dean frowned. “How did you open a portal? Can demon Dean come here?”  
Other Castiel shook his head. “No, he doesn’t have the knowledge.”  
Dean sighed, he felt a little better knowing that the other Dean was not himself and was not  
entirely responsible for the abuse that had been meted out to his brother.  
“We need to help Dean,” he said firmly. “Get the demon out of his body.”  
“Yes,” agreed other Castiel. “However, the demon is part of him, his soul darkened by the Mark  
of Cain. I can kill the demon but it will also kill Dean.”  
“We have a way to get the demon element out leaving the soul intact.” explained Dean  
“How?” asked the angel looking up at him in hope.  
“Injections of sanctified blood.” stated Castiel. “Dean here is living proof of its success. He  
also was turned into a demon by the Mark of Cain. However, we found a solution and expelled  
the demon taint. We were also able to rid him of the Mark after that.”  
“We must try. Dean Winchester is a good man and his fate is imperative to the future of the  
world.”  
Dean swallowed. “No pressure then.” he stated with a grimace.  
“Where will you get sanctified blood?”  
“My brother used his on me. Maybe your Sam could do the same. I think it needs to be  
someone closely connected to you to work.”  
“He will need to be stronger. He will not survive the portal in his weak state” said Castiel and  
the other angel nodded in agreement  
“We will need to bring his brother over here then. If we leave it too long he’ll disappear.”  
“Can we do that safely?” asked Dean. He didn’t want to risk inviting a rabid demon into their  
bunker. He had his own brother to be concerned about.  
“If we are careful yes. I will need something to bind him to prevent him using his power.”  
Dean smiled. “We can use the cuffs you used on me.” he said, linking gazes with Castiel.  
“Cas and Sam tricked me and bound me with demon binding cuffs. They injected me and  
burned the demon out of me. It’s not a pleasant process but it worked.”  
“I understand.” said the angel. “I will need to regain my level of grace. Demon Dean will be  
very unhappy that I took Sam away from him and I will not expect him to come willingly..”  
Dean stood up and patted him on the back. “Right, that's a plan then. We’ll wait a few days till  
both of you are stronger. Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out to get him back here.”  
Other Cas nodded. “Do you have somewhere that I can rest, although your Castiel has given  
me some grace I need to lie down to replenish my power.”  
“Yeah sure. We’ve got plenty of spare bedrooms. Cas can you show him?”  
“Yes Dean. Follow me Castiel.”  
Dean watched as both angels walked out, his brain beginning to work out what the situation  
needed. Who knew that their next hunt would be for himself. 

He walked into the kitchen and began to prepare a light soup to start off the re-feeding of their  
injured guest. As he stirred the soup he thought back to his own demon days. He had been  
aware of the many awful things he had done but had given control over to the dark side of his  
soul. He had no qualms about hurting the people around him. He had no regrets at the time of  
leaving Sam in the hands of the vengeful special forces soldier, Cole Trenton, but later, when  
he had recovered he had cringed at the thought of what could have happened. It was only  
Sams experience and training that had saved him that time. He was thankful that his brother  
had never given up on him in the same way. Dean was sure that demon Dean would have  
killed all of his family and friends without a speck of regret. That is why the aftermath of his  
imprisonment, treatment and recovery still burned within him - creating a compulsion to protect  
those around him from any more harm, proving that their faith in saving him was correct. 

He pushed open the door with his hip and stepped over the threshold, a tray balanced in his  
hands. Sam looked up and smiled as he walked over to the bed. Dean acted tough but his  
caring nature always shone through when someone needed help.  
“I made some soup. It’s been a while since breakfast and I thought you’d be hungry..”  
“Thanks Dean.”  
The elder Winchester studied the sleeping other Sam.  
“How is he doing?”  
“Ok I guess. I’ve been sat here thinking about what he has gone through. It must have been a  
nightmare being hurt by the one who is supposed to be closest to you.”  
Dean sighed and Sam looked up at the sound.  
“He’s Demon Dean.” he said simply and Sam nodded.  
“Figures. When you were Demon Dean you didn’t care who got hurt.”  
He sighed himself as he saw the stricken look on his brother's face and got up to grab his arm in  
a gesture of solidarity.  
“But we got you back.”  
“I would have killed you without a thought. I will always feel guilty remembering what I put you  
and Cas through.”  
“It wasn’t you Dean.”  
“But it was Sammy, that's the problem. It was just the dark side of me that came out. I did a lot  
of bad things during the time I was changed. Hell, I left you with Cole Trenton. He could have  
killed you and I wouldn’t have cared less.”  
“But I survived Dean and we got you back. I know it wasn’t a pleasant experience for any of us  
but I always had faith that you would come back to us.”  
Dean grimaced. “Always had faith? Does that include when I was chasing you through the  
bunker?”  
Sam grinned. “Well perhaps the faith wavered a bit when you were trying to bash my brains out  
with a lump hammer but thanks to Cas we got you back.”  
“We want to do the same for this guy's brother.” said Dean quietly and told Sam of the  
conversation with other Castiel.  
Sam nodded and began to eat the soup, mulling over the situation.  
“It’ll be tough to subdue him but if we work as a team we should be able to do it.” he said  
slowly.  
“When have we ever shirked a challenge.” Dean commented. He looked down at the bruised  
face in front of him.  
“Whatever it takes I’ll do it. I’ve been there Sam, I’ve lived through the guilt of what I did or  
didn’t do during those months. Other Dean will be a psychological mess once we get him back  
to normal.”  
“I’m sure you’ll be able to help with that. That’s no worse that we usually are.” assured Sam  
with a grin finishing the bowl and putting it back on the tray.  
“That was delicious.”  
Dean nodded. “When he wakes up, let me know and I’ll warm some up for him. He needs to  
get his strength up.”  
“It might be better if you keep your distance when he wakes up. He’ll not know that you’re  
different to his Dean. Hell, he won’t even know he’s crossed over into our world.”  
Dean nodded again.  
“I’m sure you’ll be there to explain everything to him.” he murmured and his brother nodded.  
Gathering the empty dish he took one last glance at the sleeping patient and left the room  
quietly. 

Other Sam began to awake a couple of hours later. He came to consciousness slowly,  
keeping his eyes closed as he woke.. He didn’t move, knowing that he would be feeling the  
effects of his latest beating from his brother. He became aware of the fact that he had no pain  
and appeared to be lying on a soft mattress. He felt the weight of a blanket on him.  
Confused, he cracked open his eyes. He was looking up at a grey ceiling, but a different one  
to the dungeon he had spent the last few days in. He moved his head and groaned at the pull  
of sore muscles. A hand reached over and held him lightly.  
“Hey it’s ok. Don’t try to move too much. You’re still pretty bruised.”  
Sam looked up at the dark shape hovering over him and shrank back in fear.  
“It’s ok Sam. I’m here to help you.”  
“Dean?” he croaked, his mouth dry and throat wrecked from screaming.  
“He’s not here. Cas got you to somewhere safe.”  
Sam studied the dark figure and his eyes began to adjust to the dimmed light. He gasped as  
he recognised the features.  
“What?” he uttered, completely astonished that he was looking at a mirror image of himself.  
Sam smiled slowly above him and turned to get a bottle of water from the nightstand.  
“Here, drink this and I’ll explain everything.” he said soothingly.  
Other Sam looked at the bottle suspiciously. Maybe this was another of his brothers cruel  
tricks.”  
“It’s ok.” assured Sam and put the bottle to his lips taking a quick sip.  
Mollified, other Sam accepted the bottle and took it in shaking hands. His doppelganger helped  
him to sit up leaning against the bedhead. Taking a long swig, he realised how thirsty he was.  
Taking care of Sam had not been his brothers priority and he had rationed the occasional bottles  
of water thrown into the room. He had only been fed scraps and was used to feeling hungry.  
“What happened?” he asked slowly.  
“Your Castiel managed to get back to you. He opened an inter dimensional portal and you  
ended up in our library. You were more dead than alive but our Cas saved your life and healed  
your major injuries. I’m afraid you’ll have to put up with the bruising, we were more concerned  
with you not dying.”  
Other Sam shrugged and winced. Yes, he knew he would be feeling the bruising for quite some  
time.  
“Where is my brother?” he asked slowly.  
“On the other side of the portal with no way to get here.”  
“Where is Castiel? Is he ok?”  
“The journey back and the portal jump has exhausted his grace. He is resting and our Cas is  
looking after him.”  
“And your Dean?”  
“I didn’t think it was a good idea for him to be here when you woke up. You would have  
freaked out if you’d have seen him before I could explain.”  
Sam took another swig and looked up into the familiar green eyes and nodded.  
“Can I trust him?” he said quietly.  
Sam nodded. “Your Cas explained that your Dean was taken over by the Mark of Cain. My  
Dean was affected by this as well but we managed to cure him. We burned the demon out and  
he’s back to normal. Well, as normal as my brother can be considering our lives.” he added  
with a small smile.  
Other Sam felt himself relax. He handed the bottle back and examined his hand. He  
remembered the pain of several broken fingers, the result of a hard stamp on his outstretched  
hand.”  
Sam watched as his other self rotated his and clenched his fingers.  
“You were badly beaten. You’ve been through a horrible experience Sam but you’re safe with  
us. We won’t allow your brother to hurt you anymore.”  
Tears began to flow from the injured hunter and Sam gently brushed his fingers through his hair.  
“We’re here to help. When you are stronger, we’ve got a plan to help you get your brother  
back, the same as we did for my Dean.”  
“You can do that?”  
“Yes. You need to get a little stronger as we are going to need your blood. It may take a while  
but my Dean is living proof that it works.”  
“You can get the Demon out of Dean?”  
“Yeah. Although strictly speaking Dean is the demon. The dark side of his soul has been  
corrupted. We can restore the balance and remove the darkness.”  
“Will he be alright?”  
“It’ll be an ordeal for him and it won’t be pretty for you to watch but yes, in time he will be.”  
“Thank you.” said Sam simply.  
“Do you think you could eat something?”  
Other Sam considered the question, unsure of how to answer.  
“He starved me. I’ve lived on scraps for weeks. If I eat now I will probably throw it all back up.”  
“It’s ok, Dean has cooked some tomato rice soup. It’s pretty light on the stomach.”  
“Your brother cooks?”  
“Yep, soup is a pretty staple food in our household considering that one or both of us are injured  
a lot.”  
Other Sam nodded. “Same in our world too. Is there any chance I could get a shower and  
clean up first. “  
Sam considered the condition of other Sam. He had obviously not had access to cleaning  
facilities for ages and his hair and body were streaked with dirt, blood and other fluids.  
“Yeah of course. I’ll help you. Give me a minute to let Dean know that you’re up and about.”  
He left the room and other Sam pushed the blanket back and swung his legs over the side of  
the bed. He looked down at his wasted body and sighed. He looked down at his chest and  
the 6 large cuts were gone. He closed his eyes as he remembered his brothers dark eyes and  
grin as he slowly carved them into his flesh, ignoring his screams to stop. Shivering, he knew  
it would be a while before he would be able to feel safe in his brother's presence. He started as  
the other Sam came into the room and asked if he was ready.  
He rose to his feet shakily, nodding as his other self leant a steadying arm.  
“We’ll take it nice and slow.” murmured Sam and they walked carefully to the bathroom which  
luckily wasn’t too far away. Other Sam saw that the bathroom was exactly the same as the one  
in their world, a bank of six showers, split by a waist height tiled wall.  
“Right, I presume the showers are the same at your place so I’ll leave you to it and go and get  
some fresh clothes for you.” said the tall hunter at his side.  
Other Sam felt a curl of fear in his stomach and he hesitated. He really didn’t feel safe on his  
own and as he cast a panicked glance at his companion he saw a look of understanding of his  
silent plea.  
“Although it’s probably best for me to stay considering you were at death's door a few hours  
ago.” he said, not embarrassing him by acknowledging the distress of the bruised hunter.  
Other Sam nodded numbly, thankful for the consideration. He hated being so weak but it was  
just too soon for him to mask his emotions. Steeling himself, he bent down and stripped off the  
boxer shorts and turned the shower on. The water was warm and the jet as strong as he  
remembered and he stood under it, eyes closing as the water soothed his aches. Reaching for  
a bottle of shower gel from the wall he scrubbed the filth of the last two weeks from his skin, the  
blood, sweat and other unmentionable substances swirling down the drain until he finally felt  
clean. Lastly he reached for the shampoo but winced when his bruises protested. The  
thought of raising his arms was one effort too much and he sighed in frustration. He really  
needed to wash the grease, grime and blood from his hair.  
Sam had been discreetly watching the showering hunter and immediately saw the problem.  
“Does it hurt to raise your arms?” he asked quietly and got a nod in acknowledgement.  
“Do you want some help to wash your hair?”  
“I won’t feel clean until my hair is done.” he admitted shyly.  
Sam moved over to get the shampoo and other Sam leaned over the waist high wall of the stall  
and allowed him to lather up the dark tresses.  
“It’s funny how you like to keep your hair long as well. Dean is always telling me to get it cut.”  
he said, making the procedure a little less awkward.  
Other Sam relished the feel of the gentle fingers freeing the encrusted dirt in his hair. It had  
been a long time since he had been able to accept some comfort rather than pain. All too soon  
his carer stopped and told him to rinse off. He moved under the spray and did so before  
reluctantly turning the water off. He wasn’t surprised to see Sam holding a large towel and he  
accepted it with a smile of gratitude.  
“Thanks Sam.” he said.  
“If you come back to my room, I’ll sort out those clothes. They’ll probably be a bit big on you but  
they’ll have to do.”  
They walked back to the bedroom and other Sam, with a little help , managed to get dressed.  
He felt a lot better being clean and fresh, grateful for his doppelgangers unquestioning help.  
“I know we’re different people but it feels kinda weird you being in front of me. What you said  
about my hair, it’s kinda what my Dean is always ribbing me over. He says it gets in the way  
when hunting but ever since I was a kid it's the only thing I had a choice over. Dad was forever  
threatening to cut it but I think he realised that it meant a lot to me having a choice on how long  
to have it.”  
Sam laughed, “We;re not much different. The only stipulation was no man bun.”  
Other Sam nodded vehemently. “Too right, although I wouldn't have been seen dead in a man  
bun.” and they shared an amused moment of agreement.  
“Ok, now you’re clean, it's time to eat. Come on.”  
Other Sam hesitated. “Will your Dean be there?”  
“You’ve got to meet him sometime Sam. Don’t worry.” he assured. “My Dean is not a monster.  
You may even like him when you get used to him.”  
Other Sam swallowed, knowing that he didn’t have a choice and followed his other self to the  
dining room. The layout and furniture of the bunker was the same as home, with the exception  
of a few personal items and he felt reassured by that familiarity As he came down the steps  
towards the dining table he stopped as he saw Sams brother. He was sitting at the table, the  
remains of his lunch in front of him. He saw the form he knew so well stand up and step  
towards him. Panic flashed through him and he began to hyperventilate, not seeing this  
world's Dean but his own, black demon eyes flashing and a cruel smirk on his face.  
“Hi Sam.” he snarled. “Ready to play some more.” He raised a cane and swished it through  
the air.  
“No.” he cried in horror.  
Dean watched as the long haired tall man in front of him collapsed into an obvious panic attack.  
He immediately moved to him, not surprised when the traumatised hunter shrank back.  
Instinctively he knew that this Sam was not seeing him, but his own brother, the person who had  
caused him immense pain and nearly killed him. Indicating for Sam to stand back he moved to  
stand in front of the shaking man  
“Hey Sam, it’s ok. I’m not your brother. Castiel got you away from him. Do you remember  
that?” he murmured smoothly. “Open your eyes. Look at me Sam. Please.”  
Other Sam opened his eyes reluctantly as the soft words broke through the panic. Demon  
Dean would never use the word please. He saw the older hunter gently smiling at him,  
holding his open hands out.  
“I’m not him. Look.”  
Dean pulled up his sleeve and Sam saw that there was no Mark of Cain on his arm.  
“You’re safe with us now Sam. Come on breath with me.”  
Dean gently touched the traumatised man's chest and brought him to sit in a nearby chair. The  
frightened hunter began to hear the steady breathing of the other Dean kneeling opposite him  
and finally began to relax. No Mark of Cain meant that this wasn’t Demon Dean. Slowly he  
came down from his panic attack and eventually met the concerned gaze of two green eyes.  
“Sorry” he mumbled shakily.  
Dean gazed at him in sympathy.  
“You’ve been through a trauma Sam. It’s only natural to react to that. You’re safe here with me.  
I’m not your brother, he’s on the other side of the portal with no way of getting here.”  
Other Sam nodded slowly and was embarrassed to hear his empty stomach growl loudly.  
Dean laughed. “I guess we need to fill that empty belly. Sit at the table and I’ll go and heat up  
some soup.” 

A short time later, the other world hunter was sitting at the table with a half finished bowl of  
Dean WInchesters famous tomato rice soup.  
“Don’t eat more than you can deal with Sam.” warned Dean. “You’ve been starved for weeks  
and it’ll take a while for your body to get used to being fed.”  
Sam nodded, his stomach already felt tight. He dropped the spoon and picked the glass of  
water that had been placed in front of him. Deciding that the last thing he wanted to do was to  
throw up over his saviours he leant back and pushed the bowl away.  
“That was tasty,” he said, wanting to acknowledge Dean's effort.  
“It's a family staple for when one of us is sick or injured. I learnt the recipe from my Mom.”  
“Ours is chicken noodle soup” other Sam said with a sad smile. “Dean hasn’t made it for a while  
though.”  
He felt a hand on his shoulder and a squeeze of solace.  
“We hope it won’t be long till you get your Dean back.”  
Other Sam wasn’t hopeful. He had experienced the worst side of his brother and he wasn’t sure  
that he would ever come back from that.  
“Now” declared Dean. “I have an important question. It’s a problem that needs an immediate  
resolution.”  
Both Sams looked at Dean in anticipation and he continued.  
“Not only is it bugging the hell out of me but I also need to know that you will immediately  
respond if needed”  
“What do you want to know?” asked other Sam.  
“Do you prefer the name Sam or Sammy because we can’t keep calling you both Sam.”  
Other Sam shared a look with this doppelganger who just shrugged. “You choose, I don’t mind.”  
“Sam,” he said resolutely. “I’ve not been Sammy since I was in junior school.”  
Dean nodded. “Good. Right when I call out Sam I’m addressing you. If I call Sammy it’s little  
bro over there.”  
“Hey not so much of the little” protested the now named Sammy.  
Sam smiled sadly. He felt a pang of distress at the easy banter between the brothers, realising  
again how much he missed his brother.  
Sammy rose. “ I need to change the sheets on my bed. I'd like to bunk together for the next  
couple of days to keep an eye on you if that is ok?”  
Sam felt guilty for the efforts that both brothers were making for him.  
“Thanks for everything you’ve done. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”  
“It was your Cas that got you out of there.”  
Sam nodded numbly. “And you three saved my life. I’ll always be in your debt.”  
He saw that both hunters were a little embarrassed so decided to drop it.  
“Can I see my Cas?” he asked.  
Dean nodded. “Yes, he’s with our Cas. Your Cas will be known as Castiel and our Cas will  
be.”  
“Cas” supplied Sam with a smile.  
“Makes things a hell of a lot simpler” announced the elder Winchester with a nod.  
“Come on, it’s only a couple of doors down from our room.” 

Sammy left Sam with the Angel who was sitting by the bed of the sleeping Castiel. He left them  
quietly talking and returned to his bedroom and changed the sheets. Tidying up , he put the  
load of washing into the ancient top loader and went to find his brother. Dean was in the  
kitchen cleaning the plates.  
“Hey” said Sammy and Dean turned to greet him.  
“How’s he doing?” he asked quietly and the tall hunter sighed.  
“He’s been through a lot and I don’t think he’s going to be ok till he gets his brother back.”  
“Well that's the plan. You know he’s so much like you but kinda different in a lot of ways.”  
“How so?”  
“His hair needs cutting worse than yours for a start.” he answered and laughed as his brother  
thumped his shoulder lightly.  
“No, I mean he seems a little more nervous than you.”  
“Look at it from his point of view Dean. His brother has spent that last couple of weeks hurting  
him in the worst possible way. He’s been yanked back from the brink of death and transported  
to a different world where the people he knows are complete strangers If that was me, I’d feel a  
little overwhelmed and freaked out. I suspect he’s stronger than he appears and when he’s able  
to get his head around this situation, he’ll be as strong as me.”  
“Wow, that is something of a defence Sammy.”  
“Well, I kinda have a soft spot for him. Maybe we’re not so different. If we hadn’t been able to  
get you back, maybe you would have done the same to me. You promised that you had plans  
for me when you were sitting in the back of Baby if you remember.”  
Dean frowned at the memory.  
“Look, we’ll get his Dean back and get them back to their own world once we know they’ll be ok.  
Helping people, that's the family business and I guess they’re sort of another branch of our  
family.”  
Dean studied his younger brother, once again impressed by his empathy and insight.  
“Amen to that brother.” he murmured. 

They settled into a routine, Sam and Castiel relaxing and regaining their strength. Unfortunately  
other Sam didn't sleep easily, nightmares plaguing him. The hunters and the Angels learnt of  
their parallel lives and were able to compare experiences. Sams father had died on a hunt only  
5 years before, their Mother lost in the same way as theirs. They had defeated Azazel but had  
fought through many subsequent troubles having only defeated him after the Gates of Hell had  
spewed out hundreds of demons into the world. Dean had accepted the Mark of Cain to defeat  
Abbadon a year ago and several months ago he had been killed by Metatron and resurrected as  
Demon Dean. Reluctant to leave it too long, they decided that it was time to start the ritual.  
Sam willingly donated 4 vials of blood which they stored in the fridge. They would need to take  
another two vials once they had Dean imprisoned. Confident that they had prepared the strong  
room sufficiently, it was time for Castiel to open up the portal to Demon Deans world.  
“Good luck Castiel.” murmured Sam.  
The Angel nodded grimly. A few days rest and the help of this world's Castiel, had repowered  
his grace and he was confident of having enough energy to bring Dean back. They had  
discussed and come up with a plan which hopefully would work to entice the demon through the  
portal.  
“See you soon” added Dean and Sammy just stepped up and slapped a hand on his back in  
encouragement. The others just watched with fearful anticipation.  
Castiel muttered the incantation and lit the ingredients in the bowl. The portal opened, shining a  
blue swirling light in front of him. Without a glance back he stepped forward.  
He found himself in the strong room/dungeon of the bunker and he hesitated listening for the  
sound of Demon Dean. All was quiet. He glanced around the room distastefully, seeing the  
blood splatters and chain evidence of Sams incarceraction and torture Steeling himself, he  
stepped forward and made his way towards Sams room. 

Demon Dean was sitting in the library, a half empty bottle of whisky at this side. He was still  
smarting at being outwitted by the Angel who had plucked his brother away from his clutches.  
He had spent the last few days trying to find a trace, exploring several lore books to see if he  
could find a tracking spell. He cursed as he had soon realised that he lacked his brother's  
talents. The anger powered the Mark of Cain and several broken items lay around the room.  
Suddenly a tingle ran through him as he sensed another presence in the quiet bunker. He  
concentrated and smiled coldly, opening his eyes, flashing them from black to green. The  
Angel had made a fatal mistake returning to the bunker after taking his toy away. He stalked  
into the hallway and saw Castiel move into Sams room, seeming unaware of the danger. He  
stood at the door and saw the Angel stuffing his brother's clothes into a bag.  
“So, he’s still alive.” he declared loudly and saw Castiel turn slowly, dropping the sweatshirt he  
was holding.  
“He was nearly dead when I got to him I saved him from you.” he said calmly  
Demon Dean laughed and his eyes flashed from green to black and was pleased to see Castiel  
wince.  
“Where is he Castiel?”  
The Angel shook his head.  
“He is safe, I will not allow you to hurt him again.”  
Dean pouted “Oh, but we were having such a good time.” His face darkened.  
“I want him back. Tell me where he is.”  
Castiel stood strong.  
“No. I cannot do that.”  
“Do you realise the power the Mark of Cain gives me? You are no match for me Castiel. I can  
make you tell me.”  
He was annoyed to see the angel shake his head.  
“Sam is safe a long way from here. Do what you want to me but I will never tell you.  
Remember Demon that I also have power of my own.”  
Dean laughed. “You’re lying. The banishing sigil will have drained most of your grace. Even  
fully powered you won’t be a match for me.”  
A noise behind him made him turn and he staggered as a knife embedded itself in his shoulder.  
He looked up to see a glimpse of dark hair disappear around the corner. Roaring in anger, he  
pulled the blade free but this action gave Castiel time to slip past him and escape into the  
corridor With a deadly grin he pursued the two fleeing targets.  
“You're stupid to come back Sam.” he called. He followed them downstairs to  
the dungeon. Skidding into the door he saw the glowing portal and watched as his brother and  
the Angel stepped through it and disappeared. Knowing that they would close it when they  
reached the other side he took a flying leap and dived through the portal before it could expire  
He was met by a solid wall and he lost his breath as he crushed up against an invisible barrier.  
Falling to his knees he shouted in frustration as he saw Sam and Castiel on the other side of the  
barrier Suddenly a handcuff was slung around his wrist, swiftly followed by the other. As the  
metal clicked into place he felt his demon power drain away. He cried and cursed, black eyes  
flashing in anger but he was trapped.  
Dean stepped back and studied his mirror image and shuddered at the jet black eyes. The  
demon began to calm as he became aware of his situation. Dean pointed down.  
“Demon trap and demon binding cuffs. You’re not going anywhere you Son of a Bitch.”  
Demon Dean's eyes alighted on the shaking form of his brother who was obviously terrified of  
him.  
“Pleased to see you again Sam.” he snarled.  
He looked over to the figure standing beside him - it was a mirror image of his brother and it was  
obvious that this was the version who had followed Castiel and stabbed him in the back  
“I guess this is another world.”  
Dean nodded. “I’m Dean Winchester and this is my brother Sam. We are going to help you.”  
“Help me?” snarled the demon, curling his lip in disdain. “I don’t want your help. I’m happy as I  
am.”  
Dean sighed. “It was the same for me but my brother helped turn me back into a human and  
that is what we’re going to do for you. I’m not gonna lie, it’ll hurt like hell but you’ll feel a lot  
better when you get back to normal.”  
Demon Dean studied the doppelganger in front of him. He glanced down to the uncovered arm  
and saw no Mark of Cain.”  
“No I don’t want this.” he cried angrily.  
“No choice buddy. It's for the best believe me. Cas put him out. ”  
Castiel snapped his fingers and the demon collapsed unconscious.  
“Lets get him secured and we can commence the purification ritual.”  
Sam who had been watching in distress looked up as Sammy urged him away.  
“It’s ok. It’ll all be over in a few hours.”  
The dark haired hunter shook the image of his recent torture from his mind and began to  
concentrate on the task. Whilst Dean and the two angels secured the demon into the metal  
chair, Sam and Sammy walked over to the nearby table A bowl of ingredients lay on the side  
and Sammy added in a small incantation and the portal closed  
Getting the four vials of blood he recited another incantation which purified the vials. He then  
looked at Sam.  
“Are you up for this?”  
Sam nodded and walked over to the restrained Demon. As he plunged the first syringe into his  
arm Dean awoke and yelled, black eyed flashing. Sam took an involuntary step back as the  
demon struggled and began to throw all sorts of insults at him.  
“Just ignore him.” warned his other self again, having briefed him about what had happened  
with his own brother Sam steeled himself as he plunged a second vial into his brother's arm.  
Dean began to howl as the purified blood burned in his arteries. It was going to be a long  
process, just two syringes of blood for the first hour and then one every three hours after that  
He watched his brother squirm in pain.  
“That's enough for now.” murmured Sammy.  
Dean and the Angels left the room at Sams request just leaving the two younger Winchesters.  
“Should he be in that much pain?” he asked quietly and Sammy nodded.  
“That is the purified blood burning the demon poison out. It’s not a pleasant process to watch or  
experience but it’s the only way to get your brother back.”  
Sam looked sadly at this older brother. He had known intense pain over the last few weeks but  
his soft heart did not feel comfortable with inflicting such agony on his brother.  
“I’m not sure I’m strong enough for this.” he whispered but he felt a reassuring pat on this  
shoulder.  
“Yes you are Sam Winchester. Just remember that we’re helping him.”  
Sam nodded, understanding that Dean would have to suffer short term pain for long term gain  
“Ok” he said simply.  
“I won’t leave you on your own.” he heard and nodded gratefully.  
“Thanks Sammy.” he murmured. 

Three hours later, Demon Dean screamed as another vial of blood was injected. He could feel  
the fire raging through his arteries. He was helpless and could only suffer the intolerable pain.  
He was aware that his brother and his doppelganger never left his side. After the fourth vial he  
felt the dark side begin to lighten a little.  
“Time to take a break Sam. We need at least another couple of vials of your blood.” Sammy  
said tiredly.  
Sam nodded and called to Castiel and Cas who were standing near the door. The Angels took  
up sentry duty as the two Sams moved to the infirmary where they had set up the blood bank.  
Sam lay down on the bed and watched as Sammy drew two more vials of dark blood.  
“That should hopefully be enough.”  
He uttered an incantation and sanctified the blood.  
“Rest for a little. The angels will keep an eye on him.”  
Sammy waited until Sam closed his eyes and walked into the library where Dean was sitting.  
“How’s he doing?” asked Dean  
“Sam?”  
“Yeah.”  
“It's tough on him. It’s hard seeing his brother in so much pain.”  
“Same for you huh?”  
Sam nodded. “Yeah but it's a necessary evil. It should only take another couple of vials before  
we see a positive effect. That’s when it’ll get dangerous. You slipped the cuffs when you were  
more human than demon.”  
Dean frowned. “And ended up chasing you with a lump hammer through the bunker”  
Sam smiled. “Yeah, but we’ve got a bit more backup now so we should be able to contain him.  
“Hmm, the power of one and a half angels should be enough.”  
Dean watched as Sam went to get a drink of juice from the fridge. The young hunter looked  
weary.  
“How are you doing Sammy?” he sighed.  
Sammy shrugged and put the glass to his mouth and took a swig.  
“I’m ok. It just brings up bad memories.”  
Dean nodded. “I’m sorry Sammy. The whole Demon Dean thing wasn’t easy on either of us.”  
“At least you didn’t imprison and torture me for 2 weeks.”  
“Yeah but I would have if I had the opportunity.”  
Sam sighed again. “I’m glad I got you back.”  
Dean nodded with a small smile.  
“I’m glad you got me back.”  
Both brothers took a moment before breaking the gaze, slightly embarrassed by the intensity of  
the emotion of the moment.  
“Sam will probably sleep for a while. He’s still not as strong as he should be. Hopefully he  
won’t need to donate any more of his blood.”  
“Take a break Sammy. I’ll keep an eye on everything.”  
Sammy nodded and walked over to the couch and sat down. He closed his eyes but didn’t  
sleep, aware of the danger of the demon they had enticed into their bunker. 

Several hours later, after Sam had needed to provide a further two vials of blood, Demon Dean  
was finally exorcised and the exhausted hunter became fully human again. They were all in the  
room as Sam threw holy water on him without the resultant hiss. They watched as the eyes  
blinked from black to the familiar green as he bowed his head in defeat.  
Sam knelt down shakily.  
“Are you back brother?”  
The older Winchester lifted his head wearily, the pain and tiredness written across his face”.  
“Yeah Sam, I’m back brother.” he sighed and closed his eyes.  
Sam held Deans head in panic but Sammy eased him away.  
“He’s exhausted by the ordeal Sam. We’ll get him to bed, he’ll be ok now.”  
Sam stood up and began to undo the bindings and soon Dean was lying in a soft clean bed.  
Sam climbed in beside him and when Sammy came to check on them 10 minutes later he was  
pleased to see both brothers sleeping soundly. 

It was not an easy reunion when the brothers woke. Although they were glad to see each other  
were recovered, the events of the last few weeks were raw and both found it hard to relax in  
each other's company. Their Castiel hovered uncertainly on the edges and all the others took  
a step back knowing that the brothers had to resolve their issues between themselves. Other  
Dean kept himself away from the others, seemingly embarrassed by recent events and became  
more withdrawn as the days went by. His brother tried to talk to him but kept getting rebuffed  
gruffly by the older hunter. Sam put it down to tiredness, Dean was still exhausted from his  
trial, and backed off a little hoping that Dean would eventually come to terms with what  
happened. 

Dean was brooding, the humiliation of his forced imprisonment painful as the Mark of Cain  
throbbed on his arm. Until he was free of the Mark, he would not be entirely free of his dark  
side. None of the others realised how badly it still affected him, he thought, as he looked down  
at the Mark and rubbed it moodily. Sam was driving him mad by trying to raise the subject of  
his recovery from the demon days and he just didn’t understand that he wasn’t ready to talk  
about it. He was barely holding back the urge to kill and it was taking all his energy just to stay  
focussed. After a couple of days he felt like he was like a taut rope, ready to snap. He was  
glad that the others were leaving him alone and he thought that his alter ego perhaps  
understood part of his struggle. If he hadn’t been so stubborn he would have realised that he  
could have talked to this world's Dean and that would have avoided the final blow up when it  
came. But he was Dean Winchester, and Dean Winchester is a stubborn son of a bitch. 

The other Sam and Dean had left to do a supply run and the two Angels were also absent  
leaving only him and his brother in the bunker. Dean had come out of the bedroom and walked  
into the kitchen to get something to drink and was disappointed to find all the beer gone. He  
moodily grabbed a can of coke, a poor substitute. He heard a step behind him and closed his  
eyes in frustration. He knew it was his brother and just didn’t want to talk to him at the moment.  
Taking a deep breath he turned around quickly and found his brother standing in the doorway  
looking at him warily. Not warily, Dean realised, Sam was looking at him in fear. The tightrope  
of his temper snapped and he felt the darkness of the Mark of Cain course through him. He  
raised his hand as if to strike his brother but then hesitated, realising what he was going to do.  
Hadn’t he hurt his brother enough recently? Shocked by the power of the anger he dropped his  
hand as he saw the tall hunter shrink back from him in fear.  
He took a shaky breath.  
“Sam, get away from me.” he warned.  
The younger hunter looked at him and Dean saw he was terrified, verging on the edge of a  
panic attack and the guilt slammed through him. His brother was scared of him, Dean had  
ruined the trust between them. The feeling caused the Mark to throb again and he barely  
clung on, the urge to advance and hurt his brother hard to resist.  
Sam watched the conflicted emotions on the handsome face. Calming a little as he realised  
that his brother wasn’t going to hit him he tried to get through to him.  
"Talk to me Dean. What’s going on in your head?” he pleaded and was pleased to see his  
brother respond to his request.  
“Not now.” he muttered.  
Sam persisted. “Then when Dean? This thing is eating us up. We need to talk about what  
happened.”  
Dean stepped away from the fridge and stared at his brother.  
“Ok, you want to talk Sam. “ he snapped. “Let’s talk about how I pinned you against the wall and  
flogged you till your back was striped and bloody, how I held you down and ignored your  
screams as I cut into your flesh, how I beat you nearly to death and how I enjoyed every minute.  
Yes, Sam, let's talk about that.”  
Sam cringed as he continued.  
“Let's talk about how you shrink back when you’re near me, how I scare you. Let's talk about  
how I’m barely hanging on stopping myself from coming over there and hurting you again.”  
Sam raised his head and stared directly at his out of control brother.  
“I know you hurt me Dean but it wasn’t you, it was the demon who did it. You’ve always  
protected me.” he whispered.  
Dean linked gazes with the earnest man in front of him. His eyes dropped to the bruising  
around his neck and the guilt surged through him causing the Mark of Cain to flare again.  
“Get away from me Sam.” he urged. “I can’t control it much longer and I don’t want to hurt you.  
Please just go.”  
Sam saw the internal struggle. He had researched the Mark and knew that Dean would suffer  
from its effects until it could be removed. They were waiting for a witch called Rowena  
McLeod to arrive at the bunker with something called “The Book of the Dead.” Using a spell  
they would be able to free Dean of his burden. Taking a step back, he realised that Dean was  
teetering on the edge of losing control and knowing what his brother was capable of, he decided  
the best option was retreat. Holding up his hands he backed away and winced as he heard the  
crash of the coke can being thrown against a wall and a wail of pure anguish. 

A door opened above and this world's Dean and Sam walked in, laden with several bags of  
food. They heard the angry shout from other Dean and looked at each other in concern.  
Coming quickly down the steps they deposited the bags on the table and were relieved to see  
an unharmed but visibly upset Sam come into the dining room. He stopped, surprised to see  
them and then pushed past them, tears streaming down his face. Sammy nodded to Dean.  
“I’ll take Sam, you deal with Dean.” he murmured and moved to follow the distraught younger  
brother.  
Dean walked into the kitchen to see his doppelganger staring angrily at the wall, stained by a  
recently thrown liquid.  
“Damn Mark of Cain.” he said to himself and steeled himself.  
“You need to work off some energy Dean or the Mark will take you over. Come with me, I know  
a way to help.”  
Other Dean looked at his mirror image coldly.  
“I’m beyond help.” he snarked darkly.  
“Hey, it’s ok buddy. I’ve been there, remember” the hunter murmured disarmingly, “You need to  
get rid of the aggression. I’ve got a punchbag in the basement - I spent hours thumping it.”  
Other Dean dropped his head, exhausted by the whole effort of the situation and allowed  
himself to be led down the stairs to the basement. There were a few items of exercise  
equipment and in the corner an old leather punch bag.  
“Here.” said Dean and handed him a pair of boxing gloves. “Take it out on old Tyson here and  
when you’ve calmed down we’ll go for a drive. You need a bit of space.”  
Other Dean looked down at the gloves and accepted the offer for what it was. This Dean  
obviously understood what he was going through. Stripping off his shirt, he pulled on the  
gloves and took his first punch. It was very satisfying and he began to pound the punch bag.  
He punched it hard, feeling the throb of the Mark diminish over the course of the next 15  
minutes as he took out all his aggression on the leather in front of him. The other Dean just  
sat down and watched calmly, not attempting any conversation at all. As he tired, other Dean  
slowed down and finally stopped, sweat soaked and breathing heavily.  
“Better?” asked his companion, slipping the gloves off him.  
Other Dean nodded and closed his eyes.  
“Thanks man.”  
“I understand everything you’re going through Dean. I’ve been there, bought the postcard.  
You’re strong, you’re going to get through this.”  
“It's so hard though. I am barely holding on. I crave the violence, it’s like an addiction.”  
“Rowena will be able to remove the Mark. The darkness has already been released so there  
won’t be any consequences. It’s just a spell and you’ll be free from all it’s influence. You’ll feel  
a helluva lot better once it’s gone.”  
The older hunter watched as the other Dean wiped the sweat from his brow.  
“Look, you get showered and we’ll take a run out in Baby. We’ve restocked on beers this  
afternoon.”  
“What about Sam?”  
“My Sam will look after him. He’s also been there, bought the postcard. Look, it's tough on  
everyone involved. You two have brought up bad memories for us as well. Don’t worry about  
your brother, my Sammy will sort him out.”  
Other Dean looked at him gratefully, realising that maybe the hunter in front of him knew what  
he was feeling.  
“He’s right though. We really do need to talk. I just don’t know what to say. I wish it’d never  
happened.”  
“When I was demon Dean I did a lot of things I’m not proud of. Sam got abducted by someone  
chasing after me for killing his Dad years ago, had him chained up and told me that he would kill  
him if I didn’t meet him. I washed my hands of all responsibility. I left Sam to die and I couldn’t  
have cared less. It was only Sams abilities that saved him. I should have been thankful that  
he survived but I still tried to kill him when I escaped in the bunker. If it wasn’t for Castiel I  
would have bashed his brains out with a lump hammer. It took me a long time to come to terms  
with what I did and the guilt that I still feel to this day. But Sam never gave up on me. No  
matter what I’d done he got me back and yes, he’s annoying as hell most of the time but you  
can’t ever fault him for the faith he showed in me and the courage to get me back. Your Sam  
loves you and he needs you to be his big brother again. You need to help yourself as well as  
much as him.”  
Other Dean looked at the man in front of him, his words making sense. When push came to  
shove both brothers first priority was for each other and somewhere along the line he had  
forgotten that. He looked down at himself and at the Mark on his arm. This Mark was the  
poison between them, the cause of the last year's trauma. He had been naive accepting it  
without the thought for the long-term consequences of the action, his determination to defeat  
Abbadon marring his judgement.  
“When is Rowena getting here?”  
“She should be here tomorrow. Do you think you can hold on till then or do I need to lock you  
up?”  
Dean steeled himself. “Yes, I have to be. I have to be strong for my brother. I don’t want him  
to be scared of me anymore.”  
“Good, shower, fresh air, a drive in Baby and a beer. I think the conversation with your brother  
is best held after the Mark has gone, don't you.“  
“Oh yeah. When Sam gets going, there’s no stopping the chick flick moment and I need to be  
strong enough to cope with the puppy dog eyes.” grinned other Dean and slapped his hand on  
his doppelgangers back.  
“Thanks Dean.” he said sincerely. 

Sam followed the upset hunter to their shared bedroom and as the other Sam collapsed  
miserably onto his side of the bed, Sammy moved over and put a comforting arm around him.  
“He’ll be ok Sam.” he murmured and waited until the tears had dried. Recovering his  
equilibrium, Sam looked up with a shy smile of apology. Sammy just hugged him a little harder  
before letting go.  
“It’s tough. I just want my brother back.”  
Sammy nodded sagely. “I know but if he’s anything like my brother, Dean will only talk when  
he’s ready. He’s still being affected by the Mark of Cain and he won’t be right until it’s gone..  
As soon as Rowena can remove it, he’ll feel a lot more like your brother.”  
“How are we going to get through this?”  
“Well from experience you’ll find your brother will feel as guilty as hell even if you tell him a  
million times that it wasn’t his fault.”  
Sam nodded, it was a trait that all Winchesters suffered from.  
“I need to get him to believe that I forgive him.”  
“And you’ve just got to convince him to forgive himself. You’ve got to be strong and not push  
him too much. When he opens up, as he will I guarantee, you won’t be able to shut him up.”  
“It’s hard being a Winchester.” Sam murmured and Sammy nodded, his dark hair flopping into  
his eyes.  
“Amen to that brother.” 

A short while later Dean popped his head round the doorway and told them that they were going  
out for some fresh air.  
“How is he?” asked Sam fearfully.  
“He’s calmer now. The sooner we get the Mark of Cain off him the better. I’ll take him out to  
give you both some space. Don’t worry, Rowena will be here tomorrow.”  
“Thanks Dean.” said Sam.  
Dean looked at him “It’ll be ok Sam. He’s got a little more perspective now. He wants to talk to  
you but not till after the Mark has gone. Give him some time, he’ll be ok.”  
Sam nodded, once again thankful for the consideration and help from both of the Winchester  
brothers. 

Later, he and Sam prepared dinner and spent a fairly pleasant evening with Cas and Castiel.  
He had a little more hope that he would soon have his brother back.  
When Sam left for a toilet break, his Castiel moved to sit next to his young friend.  
“I have been assured by this world's Castiel that the spell will not harm your brother.” he said,  
wanting to reassure his obviously worried friend.  
Sam smiled at the awkward attempt of the Angel patting his knee in comfort.  
“I know, but I can’t help worrying.”  
The other Angel joined in the conversation.  
“Rowena is a very powerful witch. She has completed the spell once successfully and is  
confident that it will work on your brother.”  
Sam nodded. “She doesn’t sound like the Rowena I knew. There was no way she would have  
helped out a hunter. She wasn’t really much of a witch.”  
“Remember that we are in a different world Sam. Although the characters are the same, we  
are all different people living different lives.”  
“Well, I hope that this Rowena doesn’t have any connection with our world.” murmured Sam  
with a frown.  
“Why not?” asked Cas.  
“Because Sam killed her.” stated Castiel.  
The angel accepted the information calmly.  
“Perhaps it would be better not to mention that when you meet Rowena.” he suggested and this  
caused Sam to laugh.  
“Good advice. Let’s keep that between ourselves. Even my Dean doesn’t know.”  
They heard footsteps and moved onto a less inflammatory topic and when this world's Sam  
came into the room, he heard a discussion on the current topics on angel radio. 

They watched a movie and just before they retired to their room they heard the return of the two  
Deans. Their elder brothers walked into the lounge where they were sitting and nodded a  
greeting. Sam studied his brother and was gratified by the bashful smile that Dean threw at  
him.  
“Hi Sam.” he said.  
“Did you have a good time?”  
“Yeah. Deano here took me out to a local beauty spot. We sat on the Impalas bonnet and  
worked our way through a few beers.”  
Sammy looked at his brother, knowing exactly where they had ended up. The bluff over the  
lake was a favourite of theirs and they had spent many an evening lying back and looking up at  
the stars.  
“That’s good Dean.” He rose, not wanting to push his luck.  
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” he said and was surprised by a gentle touch on his arm.  
“Sam, I’m sorry about today.”  
The dark hunter gave a sad smile. “Yeah, so am I. I’ll see you tomorrow. Night Dean.”  
“Night Sam.”  
He left them and retired to bed. Tomorrow was going to another tough day but hopefully their  
nightmare was drawing to an end. 

Rowena arrived just after lunch, having had a long drive from Los Angeles. She entered the  
bunker and waved from the balcony and the Winchester brothers greeted her warmly.  
Other Sam studied her as she carefully came down the stairs with a large book under her arm.  
She was dazzling, a far better version than the pitiful witch that he had killed many years ago.  
Her long ginger hair cascaded around her shoulders and her form fitting green dress picked out  
the colour of her eyes. She exuded power and when she talked it was with a broad Scottish  
accent.  
“Hello boys.” she greeted and both Sam and Dean hugged her.  
“Good trip?” asked Sam, stepping back with a warm smile.  
“It was a long drive but I am happy to help.” she replied. She looked at Dean and then over to  
other Sam.  
“You must be his brother?” she said and Sam nodded, awed by her, watching as he studied him.  
Oh god, she knows he thought. Kicking himself as he saw her waiting he nodded.  
“It’s good of you to do this Rowena.” he said.  
She studied him for a few more seconds and apparently made up her mind about something.  
“Where is he?” she asked.  
Sam turned and pointed vaguely. “In his room. He’s finding it hard to control the Mark so he’s  
keeping himself isolated.”  
Rowena nodded. She pointed upstairs. “Ok, Samuel please go and get my bags from the  
car. Dean, go and help him. I just need to speak to Sam on his own for a moment.”  
Both brothers immediately began to climb the stairs and Rowena turned back to Sam.  
“Now, I must tell you that I have carried out this spell successfully once before. I have every  
expectation that it will work again but you must be aware that I cannot guarantee success. You  
must be prepared for it’s failure.”  
The young hunter swallowed. “I know the risks Rowena but you are his only chance. The  
Winchesters here seem confident that you will be able to get rid of the Mark.” . He hesitated.  
“But if you can’t, then I won’t hold it against you. We’ll just have to find another way.”  
Rowena sighed. “But there is no other way Sam.”  
“There is always another way.” said Sam firmly. “If it doesn’t work then I’ll amputate his arm.”  
“You could do that to your brother?”  
“He needs to be rid of the Mark. If that is the only way then, yes I will do it - with or without his  
consent.”  
The witch smiled slowly, assured that this hunter deserved help. A brother willing to cripple his  
own brother to save his life convinced her that the brotherly bond needed for the spell to be  
successful was strong enough. Ok, this Sam had killed her other self in his own world but that  
witch had been so much weaker, and to be honest a bit of an embarrassment.  
“Ok Sam.” she said and patted him on the arm. “Go and get your brother and I’ll explain what i  
need to do. I’m afraid that I will need a few spare parts from you.” 

A short while later, Dean was sitting in a chair, his brother alongside him, minus a lock of his hair  
and a bloody and dripping arm held over a bowl.  
‘How much more blood do I need to give to save my brother’ he thought, knowing that he would  
give his last drop if needed.  
The other Winchester brothers stood back and watched as Rowena took the bowl and placed it  
on the floor between them. She opened the Book of the Dead and began to read an  
incantation. The bowl began to glow with a purple light as she recited the long and complicated  
spell. With a flourish, she cast the final ingredient, a freshly pulled fingernail from Sam and the  
potion flashed. Each person watched in fascination as a purple finger of light rose from the  
bowl and seemed to home in on the exposed Mark of Cain on the elder hunters arm. He  
screamed in pain as the light hit the Mark and burned into his skin. All the others held their  
breath. Then something strange happened. There was a shimmer of light and the others  
froze as if time was suspended. Dean felt the Mark burn but then a soft hand gently stroked  
his cheek.  
“Open your eyes Dean.”  
Dean opened them to see a beautiful woman with dark hair smiling at him.  
“What is happening?” he asked.  
“My name is Amara, I am a splinter of the darkness that lies within the Mark.” she said, her eyes  
seemingly boring into his soul.  
Dean found he couldn’t speak. “We need to say goodbye Dean. You have served me well but  
it is time for me to join with the Amara that this world's Dean released. You are a good man  
Dean Winchester, a loyal and strong warrior and I have relished the time we have had together  
but there is something stronger that will not allow me to stay.”  
Dean looked up at her, the burning in his arm causing tears to leak.  
“Something stronger?” he gasped.  
Amara looked over to the chair next to him.  
“Your brother. Your bond is strong. He would sacrifice his life to save yours. You have both  
been through an ordeal and have both suffered much damage but despite that your brother  
never gave up on you. That is powerful Dean. You must repay that faith to him. I have  
caused you both so much pain but now it is time for it to end. Goodbye Dean”  
Dean felt the pain in his arm flare and he cried out in agony and then the pain was gone.  
Breathing heavily he watched as Amara faded away with a sad smile.  
“Forgive yourself Dean for allowing me to use you.” she murmured and then she was gone.  
As soon as she disappeared, the stasis was broken and Dean became aware of the others in  
the room. He looked over to Sam who was staring at him desperately.  
“Dean?” he breathed. “Are you ok?”  
Dean looked down at his forearm and saw that the Mark of Cain had gone.  
“Yeah Sam.” he said and then grinned. “I’m back.”  
Sam leapt up from his chair and both brothers hugged.  
“I’m sorry Sam.” whispered the older brother. “Can you forgive me?”  
He felt his younger brother hug him harder.  
“I already did.”  
It was enough for now. Later they would talk but for now they took comfort in the fact that they  
had each got their brother back and that the whole sorry saga had come to an end. 

Rowena glanced at the other Winchester brothers and nodded with her head.  
“I think these boys need a little space. How about a celebratory cup of tea?” she said and they  
backed away. When they reached the kitchen Dean began to prepare the drink, quiet as he  
remembered his own recovery.  
“Thanks Rowena.” Sam murmured. “Is he going to be ok?”  
The ginger witch nodded her head “It was a powerful spell. He’ll be weak for a few hours but  
he will recover quickly.”  
Dean came over as he waited for the kettle to boil.  
“I don’t envy the ‘chick flick’ talk that those two are going to have.”  
Sam looked back at the brothers, now talking quietly.  
“Yeah, but it’s what they need. We’ve both been through it enough times.”  
Dean clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder.  
“Amen to that brother”. He turned as the kettle clicked off. “Amen to that.” 

Sam and Dean and Castiel stood in front of the open portal, ready to return to their own world.  
It had been a day since the Mark of Cain was lifted and it was time for them to leave their three  
doppelgangers.  
Turning, other Dean shook both brothers' hands.  
“Words can’t express all my thanks for what you did for us.” he said sincerely.  
“Are you going to be ok?” asked Sam.  
Dean looked at his brother. “We will be thanks to you guys. If you ever need any help your  
Cas knows how to get to us.”  
“Bye other me.” murmured Dean. “Keep fighting the bad guys.”  
Other Sam shook their hands as well  
“Thank you for getting my brother back.” he said, words not enough to convey his gratitude. 

“Take care out there Sam.” replied Dean.  
“Look after yourself Sammy.” added Sam.  
The younger brother nodded. “Take care Sam Winchester.”  
Castiel murmured. “It is time to go, this portal is taking a lot of energy to keep open.”  
He nodded to the two Winchester brothers and the angel from this world  
“Be safe.” he said simply and then all three turned and stepped through the portal. 

Sam, Dean and Castiel of this world watched as the portal closed and their adventure ended.  
Moving away Dean rubbed his hand over his brother's hair affectionately. He knew that his  
brother had been deeply affected by the experience, the situation dredging up bad memories of  
their own past.  
“Are you ok Sammy?”  
The dark haired hunter sighed and shrugged his shoulders.  
“I guess so. I hope they’ll be alright.”  
“Yeah so do I. I kinda liked that Dean guy - he was pretty cool. As for his brother …..”  
Sam interjected “Smart and good looking?”  
“Kinda soft and goofy.” finished Dean. “But someone I’d like to be in my corner in a fight and  
someone I’d be proud to call my brother.”  
They shared a profound moment of contemplation, each thankful that they had each other.  
“I have a pie in the fridge.” said Sam with a smile. “How about we get back to your happy  
place.”  
He laughed at the wide smile on his brother's place.  
“All it takes is an Apple Pie.” he grinned. 

  



End file.
